


Abscond

by Rivulet027



Series: Star Wars Femslash [16]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Kanan (Comics), Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/F, Order 66, POV Depa Billaba, Rescue, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:14:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27351790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivulet027/pseuds/Rivulet027
Summary: A time traveling Hera saves Depa and Caleb.
Relationships: Depa Billaba & Kanan Jarrus, Depa Billaba/Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus & Hera Syndulla
Series: Star Wars Femslash [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970902
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	Abscond

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Written for the femslashficlets prompt tonight on dreamwidth.

“General, I’m sorry to disturb you, but I need to discuss a matter with you and your padawan in private.”

Depa stills. She puts the holocron back in her bag and slings the bag onto her shoulder as she turns to take in the woman speaking. It should be confusing to look up and find a green Twi’lek woman standing there in a mostly orange flight suit, except she shines in a way that makes Depa know the force wants her to follow this woman. It doesn’t hurt that her voice is enchanting. Before she can address Caleb he’s already taking the woman’s hand and staring up at her with wide eyes. He’s got his bag as well. Grey starts to protest.

“We’ll be right back,” Depa reassures.

“Do you even know who she is?” Grey challenges.

“Hera,” the woman says before she turns away, leading Caleb out of camp.

“The force is telling me to follow her,” Depa reassures as she touches Grey’s arm. “I’ll return.”

“I can send some men with you,” he tries.

“No, just the General and her padawan,” Hera insists. There’s an urgency and fear in Hera, a concern for her and Caleb, that has Depa shaking her head when Grey objects again. She understands, she’s letting a woman she’s just met lead her and Caleb from camp.

As soon as they’re just inside the tree line Hera squats down so she can scoop up Caleb and carry him. She presses his head against her shoulder and covers his eyes, telling him. “Don’t look.”

Caleb, who is usually so full of questions, obediently turns his head to press his eyes against her shoulder. Hera unholsters her blaster and picks up the pace as she tells Depa swiftly and quietly, “I’m going to try and keep both of you alive through tonight. In a few moments your troopers are going to get an order from Palpatine. It’ll trigger a chip in their heads. They’ll believe that all Jedi are traitors that need to be hunted down and executed.”

Depa shakes her head. Hera believes her words, Depa can feel the conviction in them. At the same time what she’s saying is difficult to believe. She wants to protest, wants to say that the Jedi Counsel was told that the chips were an aggression inhibitor, but Palpatine told them that and if the order is from him then it would make sense he would lie. Palpatine is the Sith Lord Depa realizes. If Hera’s words are true then it makes sense. There’s a ringing truth to the thought. She wants to grab Hera and demand how she knows about her men and the danger Palpatine poses. He’s been slowly accumulating extreme powers throughout the war. She and several of the other Counsel members have shared doubts that he’ll leave office once the war is over.

There’s a flare of...Mace is in trouble. She continues to follow Hera, there’s nothing she can do to help him. And then there are twigs snapping under boots. Depa unclips her lightsaber, but doesn’t turn it on. She’s not about to give their location away.

“Run with him if you have to,” Depa instructs.

Caleb starts to lift his head, to protest or say he can help, but Hera shakes her head and Caleb presses his face against Hera’s shoulder again.

There’s pain, fear, and death. Depa nearly stumbles at the sudden emptiness in the force. So much death. Caleb’s breath hitches. Depa reaches out and squeezes his shoulder. They need to be quiet. More branches snap under boots.

Hera ducks into a cave. There’s a small ship. It’s barely a ship: a galley, one berth, a pilot and copilot seat, and a gunner position in the back. Caleb offers to take the gunner position as soon as his feet touch the deck. Hera praises him before she slides into the pilot’s seat. Depa sinks into the copilot’s seat and straps herself in. She wants to go back for Grey, for Styles, for all of her men. None of them feel right, there’s a blankness there that’s unsettling. She’s still reeling from the death she’s feeling, all of her family, and to have the blankness of her men on top of that is making her feel sluggish. She needs to comfort Caleb, but getting him to safety takes priority. Depa forces herself to take a deep breath. She focuses on the controls in front of her and pulls up the weapon’s system. She doesn’t want to kill any of her men. She takes another deep breath. “I hope you’re a good pilot.”

Hera laughs. “I’m an excellent pilot.”

There’s a scattering of fire from blasters when they lift out of the cave, but nothing comes close to the ship. Soon they’re out of the atmosphere and in hyperspace. Depa sinks back into her chair. She tilts her head and watches the tension bleed out of Hera’s body as she rests in her chair. Depa reaches over and threads their fingers together. “Thank you.”

Hera turns her head. Their eyes meet. Hera wets her lips. “I’m sure you have questions.”

“Mostly I’m grateful and wondering where we’re headed.”

“When we get out of hyperspace you’ll likely see the recall message. It’s a trap. It’ll switch to a message from General Kenobi warning every surviving Jedi to stay away from the temple on Coruscant,” Hera informs her.

Depa squeezes her hand and tries not to worry for Obi-Wan.

Hera continues, “I fell into the past somehow. I didn’t have time to make it to Coruscant. I barely made it in time to warn you and Ka-Caleb.”

“I’m grateful,” Depa reiterates as their eyes meet again. She brings their joined hands up and kisses the back of Hera’s hand while not letting her gaze falter. Hera’s cheeks darken. Definitely grateful and hoping she’ll stick around. Depa squeezes Hera’s hand once more before she turns to greet Caleb standing just inside the doorway.


End file.
